Key Takeaway
Internal links connect one page of your website to another. They are one of the few SEO levers you fully control: they show Google which pages matter, how topics relate and which page should rank for what. Used well, they cost nothing and often deliver faster results than publishing new content.
Why do internal links matter?
Google follows links to discover pages and to judge their importance. A page with many relevant internal links pointing to it is treated as more important than a page nobody links to. For visitors the logic is the same: a good link answers the next question before they have to ask it.
What types of internal links are there?
- Navigation links: menu, footer and breadcrumbs. They define the basic structure.
- Contextual links: links inside body text to a related page. These are the strongest, because the surrounding text gives Google extra context.
- Hub links: links from a main page to its sub-pages, such as a services overview pointing to each service.
How do you choose good anchor text?
- Be descriptive. Avoid “click here” or “read more”.
- Match the topic of the target page without repeating the exact keyword every time.
- Keep it short: two to five words is usually enough.
- Vary naturally. “Technical SEO checklist” in one article and “getting the technical basics right” in another is fine.
A practical way to improve your internal linking
Start with the pages that matter most to your business, usually your service pages, rather than auditing everything at once.
- List your key pages and the keyword each should rank for. How to do keyword research explains how to choose them.
- Find existing articles on that topic and add a natural link to the service page.
- Check Google Search Console for pages with many impressions but few clicks. Extra internal links often give those pages a push.
- Look for orphan pages with no internal links pointing to them. They are hard for Google to find and earn little value.
- After every new article, add a few links to and from it.
For more on using Search Console as a starting point, read Google Search Console: what it is and how to use it. Internal linking is also part of my technical SEO checklist.
Common internal linking mistakes
- Too many links on one page. If everything is linked, nothing stands out.
- Broken internal links. Moved or deleted pages leave dead links behind. Check regularly.
- Linking through redirects. Link straight to the final URL.
- Relying on the menu alone. Menu links count, but contextual links carry more weight.
- Mixing languages. On a bilingual site, English pages should link to English pages and Dutch pages to Dutch pages.
Frequently asked questions
Need help with your internal linking?
Internal linking is one of the first things I review in an SEO project. Read more about my approach on the SEO specialist page, or get in touch.
